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Yeah,10yearsagoIwantedtogotoCostaRicanrainforest
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Summary
Naturalist Jason Zhu shares his wild adventures—from finding a rare mantis in Costa Rica to witnessing blue morpho butterflies in the Amazon—to argue that nature holds life's deepest answers.
Past continuous vs. simple past for interrupted actions — The past continuous sets a background action that a simple-past event interrupts. "I was already on the way back to the car. And then I saw the mantis perching on the leaf."
Infinitive of purpose ("in order to / in order for") — Used to explain the reason behind an action. "I even did food delivery for a couple weeks just in order for me to save up enough money to buy that flight ticket."
Conditional without "if" (implied condition) — A condition is implied through context and contrast rather than stated with if. "I either go through the water or I just wait."
Present tense for vivid past narration (historic present) — Speakers shift to present tense mid-story to make past events feel immediate and dramatic. "So, I got out of the car. I dove into the jungle immediately. And I track non-stop from 4:00 p.m. all the way to 5:00 in the next morning."
About this video
In this TEDx talk, Jason Zhuoqing Zhu recounts a series of vivid personal expeditions into the wild—tracking a leaf-mimicking mantis for 13 sleepless hours through a Costa Rican rainforest, being surrounded by glowing blue morpho butterflies in the Amazon at dawn, surviving a torrential flood alone on Christmas Eve in Queensland, and shaking with fear on a tiny wooden boat while simultaneously watching two rainbows and a sunset. Each story builds to the same conclusion: stepping into nature strips away noise, forces honest self-reflection, and restores calm in a way that no book, screen, or social media scroll ever can.
For shadowing practice, this talk is excellent material. Jason speaks in natural, conversational English with a slight non-native accent that is still very clear and easy to follow. His pace is moderate and varied—he slows down for emotional moments and speeds up when excited—making it ideal for practising rhythm and intonation. The sentences range from short punchy declarations ("No, I can't stop.") to longer descriptive passages, giving learners exposure to a wide range of spoken structures.
This video suits B2 learners who want to practise informal spoken English, storytelling vocabulary, and emotionally expressive intonation. Shadowers will gain confidence with first-person narrative, nature and travel vocabulary, and natural fillers and self-corrections that mirror real-world spontaneous speech.
Idioms & expressions
caught glimpses of — saw something briefly and not completely, as if by chance; "I caught glimpses of them on nature documentaries every now and then."
every now and then — occasionally; not regularly; "I caught glimpses of them on nature documentaries every now and then."
burst into tears — suddenly started crying; "I burst into tears, and I started to scream."
soak up — to fully absorb and enjoy an experience; "I'm just going to soak up the sunlight."
call it a time out — to deliberately pause and step away from something stressful; "Just call it a time out. Pause the life."
in the middle of nowhere — in a very remote location far from people or services; "I like always in the middle of nowhere."
laid-back — relaxed and not easily worried; "you have this vibe of like super nonchalant and laid-back."
this might be it — an expression meaning this could be the end (of one's life); "I genuinely thought this might be it."
